Creative has been busy of late, putting out a lot of new earphones and Bluetooth speakers and what is more interesting is that they are now dipping their toe into the enthusiast earphone market. We see this in the way of their new Creative Aurvana Trio IEM's which use multi driver technology to bring users a higher level of fidelity. We just got finished with the listening portion of the review and its time to put pen to paper on our thought on this competitively priced multi driver earphone.

What are the Creative Aurvana Trio?

The Aurvana Trio are a high resolution triple driver Hybrid earphones. For those of you that don't know what I am talking about it simply means that the Trio use multiple drivers (of different configurations), to attempt to produce a more accurate and rewarding representation of the sound. Each of the three drivers are tuned to represent portion of the audible sound frequencies found in your music. One for highs, one for mids and another for lows.

The theory behind this is that each driver is focused within a smaller range and it doesn't have to reproduce extremes at both ends of the audio spectrum. Theoretically it should produce a more detailed and realistic sound than what you would get with a single driver.

The Aurvana Trio also have detachable cables and feature an inline remote for those that wish to use the earphones as a headset for taking calls.

The Packaging

The packaging on the Trio is pretty cool. Its a rock solid plastic display case in which the earphones are clearly visible from all angles. This is very beneficial for those who are out on the high street and spot the box as it gives you a full view of what they look like whereas most other companies keep them hidden away.

For those of you who already intend on purchasing them online just know that the case is rock solid and will easily keep them safe in transit.

On the bottom half of the case you will find a cardboard sleeve with some uninspired but functional branding and then lots of good information about the headphone design including an exploded diagram of the earphones inner workings.

So packaging is good, nothing fancy but functional and to the point.

The Accessories

You get a few extras with the Aurvana Trio that are good quality but when you look at the competition from the likes of RHA, SImgot and 1More it's a little bit underwhelming. In the box you will find:

- Multiple assorted ear tips in different sizes

- Airline adapter

- Carry case

- Manuals and warranty card

The Design

The design of the Aurvana Trio is one that you are seeing less of these days but its one that I always tend to enjoy. It's a large diameter housing that is meant to be used with the cable worn down. Its design is practical as it gives enough space to accommodate the various drivers yet without adding too much bulk.

There are only so many ways you can mount a large diameter dynamic driver. Sony attempted many times to lay it on the horizontal axis but that resulted in some rather cumbersome earphones. So directing the drivers straight at the ear leads to a more sleek aesthetic.

Detachable cables definitely take the earphones up a notch contributing to both a more premium feel as well as being more practical for long-term use. MMCX was the choice for the connector, something we far prefer than the now outdated 2pin designs from other companies.

Build Quality

For the price, the Aurvana Trio offer above average build quality. The materials feel more than good enough to withstand a substantial amount of abuse from day to day lie and of course, those detachable cables mean that they can easily be replaced if anything goes wrong. It's not as premium a feel as you would get on theOriveti Basic and 1More Triple Driver but it is more than enough to withstand the rigors of day to day life.

The cables are simple yet well made. A thin twisted braid that is pretty good at resisting tangles when in storage. Connection points are as mentioned are the new high-end standard MMCX and have a good solid click when engaged and swivel smoothly around the pivot.

We have absolutely no long reservations about the long-term durability of the Aurvana but as always we will keep this review updated over the long term.

Sound Quality

I came away impressed with the sound quality that the Aurvana triple were able to produce. Enough so that I would put them in the top category of earphones you can by for around $100 right now. Basically that means they stay competitive with the afore mentioned offerings from 1More and Oriveti (and also some of the higher end Chinese HIFI earphones).

The sound is well balanced across all frequencies and displays a wider than normal soundstage, excellent clarity and quite lively and energetic bass. The Aurvana are going to be a great set of all rounders if you like to listen to a wide variety of genres but we liked them best with modern pop and electronic track.

You get a lot of detail coming through from the 2 balanced armature drivers that handle the treble and midrange but that is all backed up by the Dynamic driver which provides a deep yet refined low end punch when required.

Highs - Highs have sparkle to them and great clarity, not quite on the level of the 1 More triple driver but they definitely hold their own against the other frequencies in this earphone. Not once did it get overly sibilant and instead it presents the highest of notes with a smoother rounded off approach.

Midrange - Mids are smooth and clear. Good detail and instrument separation is seen through this frequency. The only thin stopping them competing with more expensive earphones is a little bit of separation and more of a weighty growl to vocals. Strings sound good, more precise and crisp than warm and emotive so that might be for you if you like a more monitor style approach to that range.

Lows - Lows were very good. The large diameter driver is often a sticking point in earphones at this price point. We often see low end response that is all about quantity but with little emphasis on quality. I am happy to report that the Aurvana has on tight low end driver that doesn't get sloppy and bleed its low end into the midrange. It is capable of providing big hits when required, not monsterous sub bass but close, and remains tight enough to handle speed in complex bass heavy tracks.

Soundstage is good, slightly more width than depth. Its not an out the head experience but then very few earphones ever are. Imaging is also good and we found it easy to place instruments and imagine staging with live music.

Conclusion

Creative Labs Inc

The Creative Aurvana Trio are a big step up for Creative. The have a solidly built earphone that sounds very good and works well with a large number of earphones. Its not as sexy as some of its competition but we would definitely put it into the top tier of earphones at its price point. I would hesitate to say its better that the other 10 of so IEM's at this competitive market, its not, but it certainly can hold its own.

Its rather plain and drab styling might not be for everyone and others may be turned off by an inability to wear them monitor style with the cable over ear. However, many people are a fan of this long-trusted design and given its improved build and sonic performance we are happy to have yet another great earphone to choose from when

The Brainwavz B400 review is done and we were hugely impressed with this new entry into the earphone market under $200. We liked a lot about them so read on to find out our thoughts and how they tested next to the competition.

Do you want to know what the best headphones for kids are? We list the top 12 children's headphones and all of them feature essential volume restriction for safety and protection of your childs hearing.

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